Damaged
by moso-bean
Summary: After the death of a little boy in his own home, Ronnie Brooks and Matt Devlin have to investigate the conflicting stories from his sister and foster parents. But even with the evidence, can Alesha Phillips and James Steel prove the case?
1. Chapter 1

**I refuse to believe that Matt was killed, and that it was all a cover up for MI5. Amen.**

The rainy nights where always the worst, Annie O'Sullivan thought darkly as she tugged her thin jacket closer around her. Everything bad happened when it rained. Her hair streamed backwards for a few moments before the wind changed direction and her jet black hair buffeted her face. As the cold drops of rain began to fall she pushed back her fringe with a frustrated sigh, letting out the little anger that was still left in her after the argument. She wasn't even meant to be here, they said that they'd call the police if she stayed any longer. So she'd left, but they couldn't arrest her for standing in the street.

Shivering, she frowned when the familiar sound of sirens grew ever closer. They weren't mean to be here, this was meant to be one of the nice suburbs, not like where they had lived. Maybe they had actually carried out their threat, she thought darkly before blending into the shadows. It wouldn't be the first time. Looking up from the pavement for the first time, her frown deepened when the blue lights that lit up the street came rushing towards her, sirens blaring so hard and so loud she had to cover her ears. There were two panda cars, followed closely by another two cars and a white van, going so fast that they probably broke the speed limit. Raising an arm in a feeble attempt to protect herself from the lashing rain, her heart pounded against her chest when she saw the house they pulled into.

"No, no," Her words came out in barely a whisper against her dry lips, as the flashing lights and noises stopped. "No, no, no!" The final word came out as a scream, as she watched several people carrying god knows what out of the back of the white van before two officers knocked on the door. Even from this distance, she could tell that something was wrong. Police don't knock politely; they just break the door down. The door was opened, and she could briefly make out a silhouette before the police and other people in white blue suits rushed in.

"You didn't," She croaked again, ignoring the warnings that she'd received earlier that evening, and began to run. It didn't matter that they could call the police, she didn't care. Her feet slapped against the wet pavement, as the rain stung her face spitefully. Without looking, she dashed across the quiet road and towards the gravelled drive.

A police officer was heading out of the house in her direction, and glanced up as he noticed the moving girl sprinting towards him like she was in the Olympic finals.

"Hey, you can't come in here." He frowned, putting out an arm to stop her as she slowed down. It was then that she noticed what he had in his hands. A large roll of that yellow and black tape that was always on police shows. The one that said Crime Scene.

"No, I'm," She gulped down the air like she was drowning; "I'm his sister."

The neutral expression crumbled, replaced by a look of pity and concern, as the officer in his shiny police uniform dropped his guard slightly. She noticed this, and took the opportunity to dodge round him.

"No love, wait-" But she didn't listen to his warning, didn't want to hear what had happened. She had to see that Danny, the only person that mattered in her life was alright.

The security lamp was still on, illuminating the house in an eerie glow as she rushed through the open door into the sudden warmth. This house, that was usually so dead, so lifeless, was filled with people, none of which seemed pleased to see her.

"You're not allowed in here…"

"Someone get her out of here."

But she ignored them, dodging the glances and hurried through to where most of the people seemed to be congregated, at the foot of the stairs. The pounding in her chest, so hard that it almost hurt, increased when she saw through the crowds. That little tuft of black hair that always stuck up, his precious Nike trainers were outlined against the cream carpet that was now stained with red.

"Danny!" She cried, rushing forward to where most of the people in the full blue suits where crowded only to be stopped by a woman wearing what looked like a plastic bag. "No, please, he's my brother."

"I'm sorry love," Joy's eyes filled with genuine pity as she prevented the distressed girl from getting any closer to the body.

"Please, I need to see him." Annie begged, but Joy remained firm.

"Come this way love." She guided the girl away from the foot of the stairs, towards a door. Annie struggled briefly but soon was overcome by trembles that racked her whole body. That sudden admission to sadness soon left as the door of the kitchen was opened and Joy let her go.

"You," She snarled, at the man standing at the sink, with his arm round his wife. Two other men that she hadn't noticed before looked up with interest as she glared at David Stone. "What did you do to him, you bastard?" Annie let out a scream, darting forwards in an attempt to attack that man that had caused her so much pain. But her flailing hands met the air, as a pair of considerably stronger arms blocked her way.

"Calm down, ok?" A pair of piercing blue eyes gazed down at her, as Matt held the girl back from attacking a grieving foster father.

"Get off me." Annie tried to shake him off but he held her firmly.

"No more swinging for people, then." Matt replied, with a glance to his partner. Ronnie had kids, girls in fact. Surely he'd be better at dealing with this than him. Annie nodded slowly, and he released her opposite the foster parents, but where they were protected by the island in the middle of the kitchen.

"What do you think you're doing here?" David Stone watched the girl intently, as she looked at him and his wife with hatred burning fiercely in her large green eyes. "I told you that if you came here again, I'd call the police."

"Save yourself a phone call," She spat back, "They're already here."

Matt and Ronnie looked between each other, confused at the conflicting emotions between the three people. Ronnie stepped forward to the girl, whose hands were clenched tight on the surface in front of her.

"What's your name darlin'?"

"Annie. Annie O'Sullivan." She replied, with a glance at the two people in front of her. "I'm, I was Danny's sister." She finished, her voice breaking slightly on the mix of tenses.

"I'm DS Matt Devlin, this is DS Ronnie Brooks."

"Annie, I know this is hard for you, but attacking your foster parents won't help." Ronnie smiled gently at her, as she scowled at her fingers.

"They ain't my foster parents. Thank god."

"Annie left us about two years ago." Angela Stone explained to Ronnie, with a distinct upper-middle class accent.

"No, I didn't leave ya, you kicked me out!" Annie exclaimed.

"It was a mutual agreement."

Matt could see that the girl was visibly shaking, not surprising seeing that she'd seen her little brother's body lying at the foot of the stairs. "Here, let me make you a tea." He offered kindly, but she shook her head.

"I don't like tea." She muttered, and her hands delved into the large bag, "I need a fag." She niftily pulled one out of her bag and was halfway to lighting it.

"You are not smoking in this house!" David protested.

Annie ignored him, lighting up before letting out a stream of smoke towards the ceiling. "It's only a fag."

"That's what you said the last time, and it wasn't young lady." Angela frowned, with an urgent glance towards the two detectives, who shared a sceptical look between them. "This is about your brother, and you're making it about yourself."

"Oh really, am I?" Annie's glance towards her former guardian was pure toxic.

"Put that cigarette out." David commanded, his deep voice filling the room with an invisible authority. Annie seemed to shrink slightly, before retaining her hard glare. With one last drag, she plucked the cigarette out from between her fingers before pressing it hard against the light wooden surface of the island. Angela Stone let out a gasp, as Annie glared at the pair of them.

"I'm going outside." She muttered, with a glance at the detectives before slipping out the side door into the rain. Silence descended on the room, as David glared hard and cold at the door in which the girl had left.

"How long did Annie live with you before she left Mrs Stone?" Ronnie asked, calmly pushing up his glasses onto his forehead.

"About a year," Angela answered, with a glance towards her husband.

"And why did she leave exactly?" Matt interjected, with a look towards the girl.

"She has a temper, and managed to get into several fights at school." David answered, with a reassuring pat of his wife's shoulder. "The girl has never had any discipline shown to her, and was a liability."

Ronnie nodded at the statement, but Matt raised an eyebrow. Liability was a word used to describe dodgy cars, not children in the care system. "And this is why she left?"

"Yes." David nodded carefully. "She wasn't helping Danny's development, refusing to let him out of her sight, breaking things when she didn't get her own way."

"Danny's development?"

"Danny had a form of Austism." Angela pursed her lips together tightly, and her hands shook as she dabbed the tissue under her eyes. "He needed calm, rational people around him. Not girls like his sister."

…

Ronnie pushed open the door into the cold garden. The rain was falling lighter now, but he could only just about make out a hunched figure at the end of the garden, illuminated by an orange pinprick of light. Walking through the wet grass, he felt a pang of pity towards the girl. She'd spent her whole life looking out for her brother with learning difficulties, never had a proper childhood herself.

"It's not weed, it's just tobacco." Her voice came out of the darkness as Ronnie drew nearer. "And I'm eighteen so it ain't illegal."

"That's fine by me then." Ronnie carefully sat down on the bench beside her. "Annie, you and Danny got on, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I loved him." She replied, "He was my little brother."

"I can understand that."

"I didn't do it." Annie's voice was shaking. "I didn't do it."

"I never said you did Annie, I was just asking-"

"Stop asking." She cried, climbing to her feet and letting the cigarette smoulder in the grass. "Why did you think I did it?"

"Annie, love, calm down."

"I loved him. I was the only one it that house who loved him." Shaking the wet hair out of her face, Annie took one last deep breath before meeting the eyes of the detective in the half light. "He was the one that did it, I know he was."

Ronnie frowned for a second, "Do you mean David?"

"Yes. No. I don't know." She garbled, as her hands began to shake again. "I'm going home."

"Listen Annie, we'd like to come back to the station with us, answer a few questions." Ronnie tried to block the girl, but she darted quickly out of his way. With one last look back at the house she turned and ran, disappearing out of a side gate that Ronnie hadn't noticed.

…

"What do you think?" Matt asked, as they walked back to the cars along the crunching gravel. They'd spent a little more time with the foster parents before checking with Joy on the verdict. It turns out it was more than the fall down the stairs that killed Danny O'Sullivan. He received a blow to the head before falling.

"I don't know Mattie." Ronnie replied honestly. "But that girl knows more than she's letting on."

"Interrogation time tomorrow then." Matt grinned. "My favourite part.

…

**Hiya… So I've recently become slightly obsessed with Law and Order: UK, Matt Devlin/Jamie Bamber in particular. I've not really wrote much in third person before, so let me know what you think, and what you think of the storyline so far. (:**


	2. Chapter 2

"You sure this is the place?" Ronnie asked, as Matt banged on the flimsy door in front of him. The corridor in which they were standing was confined, as they tried to avoid the curious glances of a passer-by who was probably trying to work out why two fairly smartly dressed blokes were doing in a place like this.

"It's the address that social services gave us." Matt replied, slightly irked. It had taken a lot to get it as well. After Annie O'Sullivan disappeared, they'd had to track down her foster mum after the Stones, only to find that Annie had moved out on her eighteenth birthday as was usual. "It's got to be this place." He banged on the door once more, to no reply. "Annie, are you in there?"

A creak from further down the hallway caused both detectives to glance that way, as a door was swung open by a scantily dressed girl, her knotted blonde hair tangled over her forehead. "You lookin' for Annie?"

Ronnie nodded, taking a cautious step towards her. "Yeah we are. I'm DS Brooks, this is DS Devlin. Haven't seen her about lately have you?"

"She was here this mornin'." The girl's face screwed up in concentration. "Said that if a good looking bloke and an older one wearing coats turned up, then I should say that she was out."

Matt had to bite back a smile as Ronnie raised an eyebrow at the statement. "Oh really? You wouldn't happen to know where she is do you?"

The girl ignored him, instead she gazed at Matt with harsh grey eyes. "I can see what she meant about good looking."

"His head's big enough already." Ronnie sighed, as Matt gave the girl a trademark grin. "Listen love, do you know where she might be?"

"Dunno. Hang on, what day is it?"

"Tuesday." Matt replied, getting irritated by the girl's lack of response.

"She won't be a college then." Both detectives heaved a sigh of annoyance.

"Do you know where she might be then… um," Ronnie hesitated when he realised that he had no idea of what this girl's name was.

"Janeece."

"Janeece, do you have any idea where she might be?" Matt asked, giving the girl another cheeky grin.

"She always comes back with a bag whenever she goes out, full of books."

"So she could be in any one of the bookshops in London." Ronnie muttered.

"Nah, she never bought them." Janeece interjected eager to help Matt. "They had shiny plastic on the front. I dunno where she got them though."

Ronnie felt a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, as he thanked the girl. "Looks like we're onto her Mattie boy."

"Oi!" The harsh accent echoed down the corridor, and both detectives spun on their heels. "You gonna be coming back?" The girl was leant suggestively against the doorframe.

"Um, maybe." Matt nodded slowly.

"If you want a good time, you know where I am." She winked, and Matt heard Ronnie cough behind him in a feeble attempt to disguise laughter. With one last look at the dire surroundings, Matt began to stride out the building quickly eager to get the fresh air.

…

The battered sign that welcomed them to Elephant & Castle Library was stuck to the wall with what looked like sellotape, as the two men wandered into the reception. It was the typical library, quiet and smelling of books. Taking a preliminary glance round, Matt scanned the shelves for Annie as Ronnie walked over to the desk.

"'Scuse me love." The elderly receptionist looked up with a cheery grin. "I'm DS Ronnie Brooks, I'm looking for a girl called Annie O'Sullivan that comes here sometimes. You haven't seen her today have you?"

"She's not in trouble is she?" The woman looked worried. "Annie's a lovely girl, not like some of them that come in here to start something."

"No, we've just come ask her a few questions."

"She'll be in the Crime and Mystery section then," The woman answered.

"Crime and Mystery section Matt." Ronnie called over to his partner who was flicking through the first few pages of a chick-lit book.

"How do women read this stuff?" Matt looked down at the book in disgust.

"God knows sunshine." Matt rolled his eyes at the familiar nickname. "Come on." Finding Annie was harder than first thought, and she was only one of the people they had to speak to.

"We better find her soon, or I might just arrest her." Matt complained, as they wandered through the maze of bookshelves.

"There she is." Ronnie peered between the shelves to see Annie's profile hunched over in a chair, head in the book that was resting on her knees. Before she had chance to see them, Ronnie darted out from between the bookshelves and strolled confidently over to the chairs.

"Annie?" The girl looked up warily, only for panic to flash through her eyes when she recognised the men standing before her. But before she had time to dart away again, Ronnie placed a reassuring arm on the chair. "Annie, don't panic please. We've only come to ask you a few questions."

"How did you know I was here?" She asked in a wobbly voice, looked intently at the two men. It was then Matt noticed the tear stains down her rosy cheeks and her pink eyes.

"We're detectives, it's what we do." Ronnie smiled gently at the girl.

Annie gave a loud sniff. She should never have told Roxy to talk to them, she thought angrily. What was she thinking? There was no running away now. "What do you want to ask me?"

"You'll have to come down to the station with us." Matt smiled at the girl who looked thinner and much more vulnerable than the girl who'd tried to attack David Stone last night. "And we'll have to take your fingerprints and DNA."

"Ok." With a dejected sigh Annie climbed to her feet slowly. "I'm not gettin' arrested am I?"

"No, you're not luv." Ronnie said kindly. "The car's just outside."

…

"So what d'ya reckon?" Matt and Ronnie looked up to see Natalie watching them from the door of the office.

"I don't think it was the girl Guv." Ronnie replied truthfully as they waited for the DNA results to come back.

"She showed more emotion than the parents." Matt agreed, watching for Natalie's reaction. "But she knows more than she's letting on."

"Well find that out." Natalie replied. "We need to get to the bottom of this case. A boy with Autism killed in his own home? I don't like it boys."

"It could've been an outside job." Matt queried, with a glance at the notes from the talk with the two parents last night. "Says here that he hated having the window open, and there was child locks on every window upstairs, yet the window in his room was open."

"Any prints?"

"Unknown, but we're just waiting for the girl's before we go in."

"Ok, run them against the ones found on the outside of the window." Natalie nodded carefully. "But go easy on her lads."

"Will do." Ronnie replied, pushing his glasses up onto his head.

"We're sure that it wasn't the fall that killed him?" Matt asked, spinning round in his chair. "Because if so, we're looking at accidental." Ronnie shook his head, and produced the post mortem report that had landed on his desk a few hours ago.

"Nah. Says here that a blow to the back of his head did it."

"But wouldn't he have got that from falling?"

"Did you ever fall down the stairs as a kid?" Ronnie asked as Matt nodded. "There is no way that Danny died because he took a tumble. Especially not with them carpeted stairs."

"But…"

"No buts about it Mattie." Ronnie peered at the screen as it made beeping sound. "Now, let's go and find out what Annie O'Sullivan has to say about these."

…

"So then Annie." Ronnie peered across the table at the girl sat before him. "When did you last see Danny?"

Annie drew her eyes away from the cameras and met the eyes of the detective. "Last night."

"And what time was this?"

"About half seven."

Ronnie nodded slowly before giving Matt a quick glance to let him know to come in. "Now, David and Angela said that you argued with them before you left. Why was this?"

"They were going to stop me from seeing Danny." Annie replied. "And I told them where to go."

"That was all you argued about?" Matt asked, staring as the girl pulled her legs up to her chin on the small chair.

"Yeah."

"Now, Annie love," Ronnie began, picking out a piece of paper from the pile in front of him. "Angela said that you said that you would 'make them regret it' that they would stop you from seeing him. Why was this?"

"Because he belongs with me!" Annie's voice rose, as she began to panic at the accusations. "I'm his sister, he's not their son!"

"Annie, CCTV footage shows that you didn't leave the house until eight o'clock. That's the same time as Danny died." Matt leant forward. "That means that you would've been the only person in the house, because both David and Angela where in the garden."

"I left at half seven."

"You were the only person in the house when Danny died." Matt's voice rose slightly.

"I wasn't!"

A knock on the door caused everyone to start, as Natalie Chandler stuck her head through the door. "Matt, can I have a word?" The authority in her voice didn't leave any room for questions as Matt pushed his chair backwards.

"What d'ya want?"

"I'll swap with you." Natalie shut the door carefully behind her. "You go to the video room, and watch from there."

"But…"

"Matt, just do it." His jaw throbbed slightly, before he nodded tersely and walked away. Natalie slipped back into the room. "Hello Annie, I'm DI Natalie Chandler." But the girl barely acknowledged her, as she rubbed furiously at her eyes to stop the tears from falling.

"You have to believe me, I didn't do it." She looked from Ronnie to Natalie.

"Annie, your prints were found all over the window sill of Danny's room." Natalie said gently. "And the window was open, which Danny didn't like did he?"

Annie shook her head. "I wanted to see Danny," she began, picking at the skin round her nails. "And when I went they wouldn't let me in. Said I was a bad influence, and that they were going to get a protection order against me."

"Which was when you said that they would regret it?" Natalie prompted as the girl took a long breath.

"They wouldn't even let me in the house." Annie sniffled, "I kept knocking at the door for ages and then David came out."

Ronnie saw the girl's hands clench tightly as her knuckles went white. "He said that if I came here again, he would kill…he would kill Danny." The tears that had threatened to fall disappeared, as the look of anger from last night returned.

Natalie had to stop the shock from showing on her face. "Do you have any proof of this?"

"I heard him say it!" Annie scowled at the DI.

"Annie, you have to understand that Angela heard what you said, but you are a single witness for this statement." Annie nodded slowly. "What happened after this?"

"I knew that Angela and David would be in their little summer house thing at the end of the garden, so I hid near the house. When they didn't come out, I walked round to where Danny's room was and climbed up the side of the house to see him." Annie looked up to meet the eyes of the DI. "I was going to run away with him, I had the tickets and everything."

"You'd decided this before you went?" Ronnie asked. He'd been silent for a few minutes, calculating what the girl was saying. It was for Matt's own benefit that Natalie had sent him out. Having been his partner for a while now, Ronnie knew when Matt was getting upset, and that was one of those times. Unluckily, for the person they were speaking to, it could be mistaken for anger.

"Yeah. Danny opened the window for me and I climbed in and told him." Annie muttered. "I left the tickets there, on side of Danny's desk and chatted to him for a bit."

"Which was when you left?"

"I was going to, but then David came up the stairs." Annie recounted, fear flickering in her hypnotic green eyes. "So I hid in the cupboard."

"In Danny's room."

"I could hear Danny arguing with him, asking why I couldn't use the front door. David didn't know what he was on about, because Danny doesn't always make sense. When I heard them both leave the room, I climbed back out the window and left the house."

"But you didn't go straight home, did you?"

"I was going to wait until half ten, after they'd gone to bed then go and get Danny. I waited for about half an hour." Her eyes closed briefly for a few seconds. "That was when the police cars came."

Silence loomed in the room, as Annie breathed in and out slowly. "Can I go now?"

"Not yet Annie." Natalie looked with pity at the upset girl in front of her. "We need to re-check the statements from the Stones and the forensics. But you can go outside for a bit if you want?"

"Please." Annie climbed to her feet.

…

Natalie and Ronnie joined Matt in the control room. "She's not lying Gov." Matt looked up as his two colleagues entered the room.

"We can't arrest someone on gut feeling Matt." Natalie said sadly. "Otherwise the whole system would go balls up."

"I know, I know." Matt sighed, "We need proof."

"I've taught you well Mattie boy." Ronnie tried to interject humour into the situation. "What do you want us to do Gov?"

Natalie pondered for a few seconds, before turning to the two men. "If Annie's telling the truth, then David's finger prints should be all over the murder weapon."

"Yeah, but what's the weapon?" Ronnie asked, placing his glasses back into his pocket.

"That's what you've got find." Natalie replied grimly.

…

**Thanks to the person who's added this to their Story Alert (: What do you think of the story so far? And are the characters realistic?**

**(:**


	3. Chapter 3

Matt usually avoided the small outside courtyard, known as the smoker's area, as a general rule but today he couldn't help but notice the girl pacing carefully round it through the windows. Natalie had been right to send him out, he knew that, but it didn't stop him from not being happy with it. Throwing caution to the wind, he pushed against the door and stepped out into the mild air that only partly smelt of smoke. Annie looked round at the sudden noise, but didn't seem surprised as she dropped the end of the cigarette to the floor and carefully ground it against the floor with the heel of a much worn green converse.

"Do I need to go back in now?" She asked, adjusting the dark green hoodie.

"What? No, no you don't." Matt replied, as she sat back onto the bench and drew her legs up to her chin, mirroring the position she'd done in the interview room. "Why do you hate David and Angela so much?"

The question took her by surprise, as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Why do you want to know?" A hard edge had returned to her voice, much like the one she'd had last night when she'd argued with her former foster parents.

Matt shrugged. "Just wondering."

"They stopped me from seeing Danny. And sent me to this posh school when I first moved in," She scowled at the memory. "But they didn't seem to care when I got bullied there."

"You got bullied?" Matt couldn't help but sound incredulous.

"Yeah, I know, I'm more likely to be the bully." She laughed wryly, a harsh laugh. "When you go to a school like that, with nothing then course people take the piss. Especially 'cos I didn't know half of what was going on."

Annie was perceptive; Matt had to give her that. "It wasn't so much her," She carried on, "It was him. I hate him."

"Why's that?"

"Cos of stuff he did." She clammed up, immediately regretting what she'd said but something about this detective made her trust him.

"What kind of stuff?" Matt inquired carefully, although he could easily guess what she meant.

"Just stuff." Annie snapped, her temper returning. "Just fucking stuff."

"Alright, alright." Matt held up his hands placating, smiling slightly at the girl's quick temper, although he couldn't really blame her for that. It was the same burst of temper he felt whenever he thought about Pete and Nugent. There was something different about her voice though, a different tone that crept in whenever she seemed to get angry. "Are you from Ireland?"

"What's this, twenty questions?" Annie had to stop herself from smiling as she rolled her eyes. It'd been a while since people had taken an interest in what she had to say. "Yeah. Moved over here with me mam when I was three." She paused, as if trying to retain a memory. "It was Kilburn, a little village called Dogual."

"Really?" Matt nodded slowly. "My family's from there too. Distant family mind you."

"Perhaps we're related." Annie smiled at the friendly man in front of her, before staring round at the building that surrounded them. "I wanted to be in police when I was little. Not the uniform ones though," She turned to face Matt, adjusting her body language slightly, "I didn't like the outfit."

Matt couldn't help but laugh, and Annie cracked a smile. "Nah, I wanted to be undercover or a detective or something."

"But you don't anymore?" Annie shrugged.

"Don't think I can." She replied, "You have to do uni and be clever and stuff. I don't have the money. And I've got a record." Matt couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl, as he looked quizzically at her. "I punched a girl." She explained.

"Right." Matt nodded slowly, "You could still do it though, it would just be hard work."

"I'll think about it."

…

"Want one?" Ronnie held out the paper bag from which a rather unpleasant smell was wafting out from it. Matt just wrinkled up his nose slightly, and shook his head. "You'll regret it Mattie." Ronnie pulled the bag back with a grin. "These are good."

"They smell foul." Matt rolled his eyes at his partner's slightly unhealthy eating habits.

"They're not." Ronnie muttered through a mouthful of chicken, whilst checking the road sign. "This is?" Matt nodded as they turned the corner into Wisteria Road. "What's on your mind sunshine?" He asked, noting his colleagues unusual silence.

"O'Sullivan." Matt muttered absent-mindedly. "Rings a bell with me, that's all."

Ronnie shrugged casually. "Plenty of people in the world called that Matt."

"Yeah, but not all of them come from the same place in Ireland do they?"

"True. Come, more important things to focus on." Ronnie looked at the slightly crowd that had emerged round the front of the unsuspecting house in this middle class suburbia. "Bet this is the most exciting thing that's ever happened here."

The yellow and black tape that was strung in front of the drive was attracting the most attention, as several old ladies gathered in front of it, fishing for the gossip. The two edged their way through the crowd and nodded to the policeman stationed in front of it, who'd obviously been standing guard for a while, judging by the frustrated expression on his face. Once inside, the silence was almost deafening as the two detectives made their way to the foot of the stairs.

"He couldn't have fallen down the stairs by accident after the blow to his head?" Matt asked, staring at the incline in front of them, but Ronnie disagreed straight away.

"Both Angela and Annie said that he couldn't open the stair gates, but they were both found flung open."

"Up we go then." Matt took a careful step around a small marking on the floor where Danny had landed and began to climb the stairs, mindful of any disturbance. "Hang on." He stopped suddenly, and peered closely at the usual pristine cream carpet where there were several brown marks. "Look at that."

Ronnie leant forward and took a closer look at the stains. "It's mud, what about it?"

"Did David and Angela seem like the kind of people who go in with dirty shoes?" Matt asked. "If Annie's telling the truth, then when David came in from the garden, he forgot to take his shoes off. And I bet those shoes are round here somewhere."

"You can't arrest someone based on them having mud on their shoes or not Matt."

After searching Danny's room and the spare room, where the tickets were just as Annie said, Matt made his way into the bedroom of the parents as Ronnie checked the bathroom. Searching through people's drawers was one of the weirder aspects of this job, he thought, checking the backs of the curtains. It had to be in here somewhere, he thought with frustration. If David Stone was guilty, then the proof had to be here somewhere.

"Found anything?" Ronnie's voice resulted through from the bathroom.

"Not yet." Taking one last glance round the room, he cursed silently when he noticed the small laundry basket in the corner. If alcoholics can hide their drink in there, then murders can hide the weapon there too.

"Ronnie, we have our weapon."

…

"Any updates?" Natalie popped her head round the doorframe where Ronnie was sat at his desk.

"Waiting for forensics to come back to us on the candlestick we found in the laundry basket." Ronnie span round on his chair as Natalie leant against Matt's vacant one. "Matt's gone to get the Stones and Annie back in now."

"Good." Natalie nodded. "Do James and Alesha know about this yet?"

"Might do." Ronnie shrugged. "We're not going to hand it over to them until we make an arrest, but Alesha's going to watch from the video room."

"Matt'll like that then." The DI grinned at her colleague, which he returned.

"I don't doubt it."

A beep from Natalie's mobile halted the conversation, and a similar one from Ronnie's computer made him spin back round on his chair.

"Matt's got them."

"Great stuff." Ronnie tapped on the keyboard as the printer whirred into action beside him. "And David Stone's fingerprints were found all over that candlestick."

"Candlestick at the top of the stairs." Natalie muttered. "Sounds like something out of Cluedo."

…

**Ok, I'm not too sure about how this story is going, as I've written it quite fast. But don't worry, I'm definitely going to continue, it's just I need to space it out a little. **

**Alesha and James might make an appearance next chapter.**

**What do you think so far? Who do you think did it? **

**Until next time, hasta la vista. (:**


	4. Chapter 4

"So David, tell us again what happened." Ronnie looked up at the considerably more haggard man that sat before them. The large bags under his eyes showed that he clearly hadn't slept since Danny had died, whether that was from grief or guilt, only time would tell.

"Do we have to do this again?" David sighed, raking a hand through his quickly disappearing hair. "I've told you what happened already."

"But what you didn't tell us," Matt produced the bagged up candlestick and placed it on the table in front of them, "Is what this was doing hidden at the bottom of the laundry basket, covered in your fingerprints."

David Stone glanced quickly from the candlestick to the two detectives in front of him. "I, I… I must have put it there."

"You usually keep your candlesticks in the bottom of laundry basket?" Matt asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Look, it went missing a few weeks ago after I'd cleaned it." David stuttered, "It must have just turned up there. You know what I mean?" He tried to smile, but Ronnie just stared back at him.

"No, no, I remember now." He muttered after a few moments while Matt stared at him. "Annie was trying to take it when she last came. I took it from her and hid it at the bottom of the laundry basket so she couldn't find it."

Ronnie had heard many excuses in his years, but sometimes the audacity of some people could almost make him laugh. "Now David," He smiled, leaning forward with his hands in front of him, "I've had teenage girls, and I know for a fact that they aren't that into home decorations when they're that age."

"She was trying to sell it." David garbled. "She's been doing it for years."

"Oh really?" Matt whisked the evidence of the table with a quick nod to Ronnie. "Do you have any proof of that?"

"No…"

…

"Have you noticed anything odd about David recently?" Matt asked, as Angela sat nervously on the edge of her seat.

"No, not that I can think of."

"Nothing out of character?"

"He was in the garden with me the entire time." Angela looked worriedly from one to the other. "In the summer house."

"Listen Angela, you want to find out who did this to Danny don't you?" The woman nodded carefully, trying not to upset her perfectly styled hair. "Then you're going to have to tell us the truth."

"I am!" Her voice became more of a high-pitched whine, as she frowned at the two detectives. "David is not the person you should be accusing here, it's her."

"Annie?" Ronnie asked, and Angela nodded. "See the problem is Angela," He leant forward, "We have forensic evidence that shows that David's fingerprints are all over the weapon that killed Danny, and that they were left there in the past forty-eight hours."

"He didn't do it."

…

"Did you ever hit Danny?" Matt asked, as David looked up in shock at the direct question.

"What?" His eyebrows shot up, "What kind of sick person do you think I am?" David glared at Matt who simply watched him carefully. "He had Autism! Why would I do that?" David further protested when neither detective made a move to encourage him.

"So, you never got annoyed, never lost your temper with him?" Matt pushed further, never taking his eyes off the man before him.

"No! Why would you even think that?"

"Matt." Ronnie muttered quietly, watching his hot-tempered young colleague.

"What about Annie?" David froze, albeit momentarily. "Ever hit her when she ignored you? Ever been tempted to do things you shouldn't to her?"

"What's that got to do with this?" David looked from one man to the other. "Is he allowed to ask me that?" He turned to Ronnie, the frown deepening.

"Answer the question." Ronnie stared at the man calmly.

"No, I never did." Matt nodded, but wasn't satisfied by the answer. "Look can I go now?"

"In a few minutes." Ronnie pushed his chair back and climbed to his feet, indicating for Matt to follow him.

…

"What do you reckon then Lesha?" Ronnie asked, as the dark-haired prosecutor looked up from the monitors where David Stone was pacing nervously round the room. "Enough to get him or not?"

Alesha Phillips smiled as Matt joined her on the chair next to her, and glanced down at her notes. "Not yet. Seeing as he's denying it, then the only evidence is circumstantial."

"What about the candlestick evidence?" Matt asked, frowning at the response. "Surely that's worth something?"

Alesha shook her head again. "The wife's defending him, saying he was with her the whole time, so he's got an alibi even if it's a false one."

Matt huffed with exasperation, and Alesha raised an eyebrow at his reaction. "Don't mind him." Ronnie smiled at Alesha as she began to gather the notes that were scattered over the desk. "He's taking it rather personally. Thinks the girl might be related to him."

"I didn't say that." Matt scowled. "I said it rings a bell with me, that's all."

Alesha smiled at the bickering that was usual between the two before climbing to her feet, smoothing down the back of her knee length grey skirt. "I can show James if you like, see if he can convict him for something." But she was chancing it, she knew it and so did Matt and Ronnie.

"Cheers Alesha love." Ronnie smiled, and carefully placed his red framed glasses back into his pocket. "Now, who's for lunch?"

"I've got to get back." Alesha smiled, "The verdict for the Robertson trial is later, and James wants me to go through the final notes."

"Tell him that he's a slave driver." Ronnie smiled as Alesha left the room with a cheery wave to them both. Matt stared as she walked down the corridor, pausing to exchange a few words with Natalie. "Take a picture sunshine, it lasts longer."

"What?" Matt looked round at his older partner. "I wasn't looking."

"You can't kid a kidder Mattie boy." Ronnie grinned. "Now, who said about lunch?"

…

"Can I have a word?" Natalie called, as the two made their way back down the corridor after lunch. "That was James Steel on the phone." She leant against the wall as Ronnie and Matt sat down in the two empty chairs before sitting down.

"What's the verdict Gov?" Ronnie asked, as Matt rested a leg on the front of the desk.

"Legs." She raised an eyebrow at Matt as he smirked before lowering them. "Sorry boys. We need conclusive evidence that links David Stone to Danny's murder."

"Annie's evidence isn't enough?" Ronnie asked, hands in his pockets as Natalie shook her head. "Well we're screwed then." He sighed.

"Unless there's something you missed at the house." Natalie asked, but she knew that there was no way that these two would overlook a key piece of evidence. Ronnie shook his head, just as she thought he would. Sometimes it worried her how well she knew Ronnie, and how she could predict his movements, but mostly, it was just nice to understand someone in this team. Matt on the other hand, was far more unpredictable.

"If only we had a recording of what Danny said to David and what made him snap." Matt wondered out loud. "Or when he said to Annie that he'd kill him."

The three of them sat there, each wrapped up in their own thoughts until Natalie clicked her finger and drew them out of it. "What if we get him to admit it?" She asked.

"There's no way he's admitting anything." Matt frowned, "And question time is up. Unless you've got another idea." He asked, as a smile grew on Natalie's face and she explained the plan.

"It's risky," Ronnie admitted. "But it's our only option at the moment."

"Do you think she'll do it?" Matt asked, and both Ronnie and Natalie nodded. "It's up to her then."

"Go and find her, explain what we need her to do and see what she says," Natalie scribbled something down, "And boys." The two turned round as they left the office, "She can't get in trouble. You'll have to be near at all times."

"Course Gov." Ronnie nodded.

…

"Ok, thank you very much." Matt smiled at young woman in reception, as she twirled a piece of hair round her finger. "You've been a great help." Ronnie rolled his eyes behind him, as Matt turned round with a piece of paper in his hand.

"Room 103." Matt said, as they walked along the long corridors of the local college. "It's been years since I've been back to a college." He muttered, gazing through the windows of the classrooms.

"Up here." Ronnie pointed to a sign leading to the sociology classrooms.

…

Meanwhile, Annie sat oblivious to what was going on, in the back of the classroom taking down notes in her squared neat handwriting. It had been the first say back, a hard one, but she'd had to do it sometime. The teachers had been kind, not chasing her for the homework that hadn't been handed in. It was weird; a week ago she'd imagined that her and Danny would be travelling up through Ireland, back to Dogual. Instead, she was still at college, waiting for news of David's arrest.

A sharp knock on the door interrupted the teacher's speech about the changes of the role of women in society and the class collectively looked up. "Come in."

Matt walked carefully through the door and smiled quickly at the teacher. "Hello, I'm DS Devlin." He produced his badge and quickly showed it to the teacher. "Can I speak to Annie O'Sullivan?" All heads immediately swivelled round and stared at her, as Annie climbed to her feet.

The teacher nodded, watching Annie carefully as was the rest of the class. No doubt the rumours would be circulating later, in the staffroom and the canteen, she thought, not that there hadn't been any before. "Homework's due in for Monday, ok?"

Nodding, she flung her bag over her shoulder and followed Matt out the room. Ronnie was leant against the wall further down.

"Have you got him?" She asked, desperate for information. "Have you arrested him yet?"

Ronnie shook his head slowly. "We haven't got enough information yet, not enough evidence." Annie sighed with exasperations, and tried not to scowl too heavily.

"We do have an idea though." Matt joined Ronnie as Annie tried to remain calm, despite the fact that this murderer hadn't been arrested yet. "But we need you to participate with us."

"I'll do it."

"Annie wait." Ronnie warned. "You have to understand that there are certain risks that come with you helping us. There is a chance that David won't let the information slip, or that he might get defensive when you ask him these questions."

Annie shook her head. The corridor was quiet, but not for long. Through the walls, the sounds of classes finishing meant that this conversation had to end quickly. "I don't care, I want to see him behind bars."

"You'll be wired up, so that the conversation is recorded." Matt explained. "We'll also fit you with a small headphone so that we can guide you on what to say, so that the evidence will work in court."

"So I go up to him, and ask him why he did it?" Annie asked.

"In not so many words." Matt laughed. "You'll have to be slightly more subtle than that."

"But we'll make sure that we're just round the corner." Ronnie continued. "And when we've got the information, we'll arrest him."

"When's this gonna happen?" Annie asked, as the rumblings of the students began to grow.

"Tomorrow. We've tracked him to his work, so it'll have to be before then." Matt smiled, as several girls that had escaped class early stared at him unashamedly from further down. "But Natalie will be round earlier to fit you with the wire."

"Ok." As much as the thought scared her, it also filled Annie with a tingling of excitement. This was what she'd wanted to do for years, ever since she'd started to watch the police shows when she was little. Matt noticed the smile too, and raised an eyebrow.

"Living the dream eh?" She nodded.

"If this is what you get to do, then I definitely want to do this job."

"Oh, it's never this glamorous." Ronnie interjected. "I have to spend a large amount of my time with Mattie here."

"Not to mention the searching through rubbish dumps." Matt's nose wrinkled slightly, as he thought about his recent experience, not to mention Ronnie's sofa bed revelation.

"Now, Annie," Ronnie asked, just as the first few students began to file out of the classrooms. "I don't suppose you know of any good food places round here?"

Annie laughed while Matt rolled his eyes. "There's a Greggs down the road." She smiled, as a small group of girls began to collect round her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

…

**The chapters are coming thick and fast. This is a quite a fast moving story, but so are the episodes of Law and Order, so I think it kind of fits. **

**Please leave a review, cos I'd like to know that people are actually reading this story, and there's a point in me writing it. I'll gladly read and review a Law and Order story that you've wrote in return.**

**How is the operation going to go? Will David be found guilty?**


	5. Chapter 5

"So you'll be able to hear us at all times ok?" Natalie reassured Annie as she walked back into the small living area of the girl's flat. "And Alesha, one of the prosecutors will advise you on what to say exactly, to get the right kind of the evidence for the trial."

Annie nodded, still embarrassed about the mess she'd left the flat in. "Sorry about the mess. I meant to tidy up last night, but I had an essay for college to finish and –" Natalie raised a hand to stop the teenager, and shook her head kindly.

"Annie trust me, I've had two teenage boys and this is nothing compared to state their rooms used to be in." Natalie smiled, and nodded towards the door. "We'd better make a move."

"Yeah sure." Annie glanced round the flat to make sure that she'd not forgotten anything. With a small bag by her hips stuffed with necessities, she grabbed her keys from the side as the DI led the way out the flat into the cramped hallway.

As Annie was locking the door, Natalie was aware of a pair of eyes boring into her and looking round she saw a girl leant against the adjacent doorway, looking her up and down. "Oi Annie!" Annie looked round and had to prevent a sigh from escaping her lips.

"What d'ya want Roxy?" Annie placed a hand on her hip as Roxy swept the matted blonde hair backwards.

"When's that fit policeman friend of yours coming back?"

"I dunno Rox. Listen, I gotta go. Speak to you soon yeah?"

And with that Annie hurried out the block out flats into the warm sunshine of September. "Lovely girl your neighbour." Natalie commented, raising an eyebrow.

"Tell me about it." Annie sighed, raising her face up to absorb the sunshine. "Never stops talking."

…

Ronnie was watching the pedestrian exit to the car park carefully, as the early morning sunshine glared off the windscreen, lighting up the front of the car. Natalie was sat next to him, in the cramped car that Ronnie seemed to treat as some kind of rubbish dump.

"Any sight of him?" Matt's voice crackled through the radio that was strapped to Ronnie's chest.

"Nothing this end. You?" Ronnie asked.

"No."

Annie was sat in the back seat of Matt's car that was parked on the other end of the small walkway that ran down the side of the car park. Matt tensely tapping the steering wheel was nothing compared to the butterflies that were flying round her stomach, but it didn't exactly help with the tension in the car that was slowly heating up in the sun. Alesha Phillips, the lawyer that was going to help her was sat next to Matt, a headset over her curly black hair. The flirting that had been taking place since Matt had picked her up from outside her flat had been rather unsuccessful as far as Annie could see. But that had dried up when they'd parked on the pavement, and the silence had then descended as they waited for David to leave the car park.

Alesha turned round and gave the girl a comforting smile as Annie picked imaginary pieces of dust from her heart-patterned tights. "You alright?"

Annie nodded, but still didn't utter a word which was quite uncommon for her. The radio suddenly cracked and everyone jumped. "He's just leaving now." Ronnie almost yelled down the radio. Annie jumped up, and quickly opened the car door.

The fresh air gently blew back her hair as she hurried towards the entrance of the car park, as her green converse tapped quietly along the clean pavement.

"Can you hear me Annie?" Alesha's voice almost made her jump as the lawyer talked carefully into her ear.

"Loud and clear." Annie smiled, as she picked up the pace avoiding the odd looks from business men, no doubt wondering why a girl in heart patterned tights, shorts and converse was doing here so early in the morning.

In the distance, she could see David. That tiny bald patch that he tried so hard to ignore, his broad shoulders and that stupid briefcase he always had with him. The hatred for this man burned inside her, removing any of the worries that she'd had before. She was drawing closer, but she knew that she had to get to him before he reached the end of the street.

Breaking into a run, she dodged the crowds before diving quickly into the alleyway that led to the street.

"Why did you do it?" She called, and David span round, paled suddenly and tried to walk on. Annie wasn't going to have any of it. "Tell me David." She called again, and this time he stopped, allowing her to walk calmly up to him.

"What do you want?" He looked much older than the last time she'd seen him.

"Tell me why you killed him." She looked back into those blue eyes that had caused her so much pain, in such little time.

"I didn't do it."

A harsh laugh escaped Annie's lips, as she held his piercing gaze. "You keep telling yourself that."

"Keep asking him." Alesha's voice came out quieter this time, as her and Matt tried to get a small view of what was going on.

"Who would I tell anyway?" Annie pressed, "The police?"

"They wouldn't believe you." David sneered, all pretence of innocence gone. "A violent delinquent's word against a business man's." But then his sense seemed to return. "Why should I tell you anyway?" He glared at her.

"You owe me as much." Annie replied, trying to keep calm. "Danny was my brother."

"You," A porky finger was jabbed at Annie's chest, as the standoff continued, "You ruin everything, you get in the cracks of everything and you bring it down with you." David took one last look at the girl and began to walk away, but not in the direction of the street, instead he started to walk down a small alley that led off it round the backs of the shops.

"Where are you going?" Annie yelled, unable to keep her calm anymore.

"You're going to have to follow him," whispered Alesha.

Annie took one last look at the sun-soaked pathway and headed into the alley that was crowded in by formidable buildings. A little way down, David stopped suddenly and pulled Annie suddenly further into the maze.

"Do you want to know what he said?" He asked, his wide body blocking the view from the street. "He said, 'Annie's taking me away from you because you're mean to her'. He wouldn't ever shut up about you." The hatred spat out of his mouth, as Annie tried not to shiver in the shade. "And when I got that candlestick, and hit him, he couldn't say anything more about you. Ever again."

The silence was oppressive, and behind her back, Annie felt one fist clench tightly. "You have to have power over everyone." Her voice was shaky at first, but with a deep breath she controlled herself. "That's why you used to rape me." The word was spat out like poison, echoing round the confined alleyway.

Alesha gave an involuntary jolt at those words, a subconscious reaction that still refused, even a year on, to go away. Instinctively, Matt's hand went straight to her arm and Alesha's breath caught in her throat.

"He used to rape her Matt." Her voice was barely a whisper, as she stared straight at the street ahead of them, through the misty windscreen.

"You let me do that to you." David spat back. "Because you're a worthless slut."

Ronnie and Natalie listened with baited breath, as they peered worriedly into the street. "Matt can you see them?" Ronnie muttered into his radio.

"No." Came the reply, as the two looked at each other.

"I hope you rot in hell." Annie spat, glaring at her former carer before stepping forward to leave. "Move out of my way." She snarled, when David made no attempt to let her pass.

"And now," A dangerous glint had appeared in David's eyes, as he backed Annie further into the alley, "You won't ever be able to say anything." The beating of Annie's heart grew faster, as she tried to look round his large figure for Matt and Ronnie.

David moved quickly, pinned her against the wall. "Help!" Annie yelled. "Matt!" Her voice came out hoarse and roar into Alesha's ear, the desperation clear.

"Go Matt!" Alesha yelled, the urgency in her voice was clear, and Matt swung open the door and ran out into the street.

"Who are you talking to?" David demanded, his eyes wild with anger, as the grip round her neck tightened. "Who?"

His large fingers grabbed hold of her shoulders tightly and dragged her up the wall so that her feet left the ground. As both hands moved round her throat, Annie struggled violently, attempting to kick out but it was no use. David's face became obscured by black spots as the lack of oxygen combined with her struggles began to take effect. She yelled out again, praying that Matt or Ronnie or anyone would hear her.

Matt ran down the alley blindly, before spotting David. Sprinting forward, his momentum allowed him to knock the man over before pushing him against the wall with strictly more force than was necessary.

"David Stone, I am arresting you with the charge of the murder of Danny O'Sullivan. You do not have to say anything, but anything you do say may be given as evidence against you in court." He snarled, snapping the metal handcuffs firmly round David's wrists.

Ronnie and Natalie arrived just as Matt finished, as Alesha had told them through the radio as soon as Matt had rushed out the car. Ronnie went over to help Matt restrain the larger man, as Natalie crouched down to check on Annie who'd fallen to the floor after David let go.

"You alright love?" She asked, as Annie massaged the front of her throat.

"Think so." Annie gulped down the air that had almost been denied from her. The girl was slumped against the wall, shaking like as a leaf as several large red marks began to formed on her neck.

"Come on, let's get you back to the station." Natalie offered a hand which Annie gladly took as Ronnie and Matt led David out of the alley way, just as Alesha appeared, breathless in the sunshine.

"You alright?" She looked from Matt to the suspect with undisguised hatred in her eyes.

"It's all fine Alesha love." Ronnie reassured her.

The tussle had drawn a small crowd, and as David was led out of the alley way the whispers increased, as people tried to make the connection between the events of this girl appearing, shouting the odds, and his arrest. They would find out soon enough, Ronnie thought, with a grim satisfaction.

…

"He's not going to plead guilty." James Steel appeared in the small control room where Natalie, Ronnie and Matt where sat watching the screens but all looked round when he entered.

"What even with all the evidence?" Ronnie exclaimed with disbelief. "I tell you Gov, this bloke ain't right in the head."

Natalie shook her head, as James sighed loudly. "That's exactly what he's saying Ronnie."

"Insanity plea?" Matt frowned, before looking at his colleagues. "Just when we thought this was going to be an easy prosecution."

"Never assume anything Matt." James smiled grimly. "I'd better be getting back, start going through the files."

"You need anything else, just ring." Natalie reassured the crown prosecutor. "I want this case to be over as much as you do."

"Will do. You haven't seen Alesha anywhere have you?" When everyone shook their heads, James frowned. "Well, she must've gone back then."

Whilst the others were occupied in the next case that had come to the attention of MIU, Matt slipped out the door unnoticed. He knew exactly where Alesha would be if she was still here. Pushing open the long redundant fire door that led out onto the black fire escape stairs, he saw her slender figure hunched over the bar against the London skyline.

"You ok?" She span round at the sound of his voice, before nodding tersely.

"I'm fine."

"Really?" Matt questioned, raising an eyebrow. "James thinks you've gone back to the office."

"I'll leave in a second." Alesha took one last look at the city, before making a move towards the door. Her way was immediately blocked by an arm in a blue shirt, a blue shirt that she had thought about many times. "He was meant to be protecting her. She was vulnerable when they went to live with them, and he raped her." The word was spat out with as much force as the young crown prosecutor could muster.

"I know Lesh, I know." Matt muttered quietly, as Alesha stared out at the skyline. "But he can't anymore." The silence grew between them, spreading like poison gas.

"Ronnie told me that you think you're related to her." Alesha asked, secretly pleased that Matt had prevented her from leaving.

"I'm pretty sure, yeah." Matt nodded. "Just need to ask her a few things."

"I just feel for her, that's all." Alesha muttered, so quietly that Matt could hardly hear her. "She's had so much taken away from her." She spoke with such ferocity, such empathy, such emotion that it was all Matt could do to not wrap his arms around her and protect her from the world and all its evils.

"Well, she's got the best prosecuting team on her side." He smiled into her dark brown eyes. "The two best prosecutors in the country will definitely make sure he gets what he deserves."

That smile that lit up Alesha's face so readily had returned and she raised her gaze to meet Matt's. "Now DS Devlin, I do believe you owe me a coffee." She hedged, with a cheeky smile that mirrored Matt's usual expression, as he looked back in surprise.

"Well then Miss Phillips," He replied, his smile mirroring Alesha's, "I better right that wrong. What time should you finish?"

…

Through the small square window Matt could see Annie curled on the large sofa, a book resting on her knees. Knocking gently, he waited for her to reply before entering the warm room.

"Do I have to go now?" Annie asked, carefully turning over the corner of the page before shutting the book.

"No, not yet." Matt sat on the chair opposite her as she shoved the book into the impossible small bag by her side. "You mentioned that your family where from Dogual?"

Annie nodded carefully, never taking her eyes of the detective in front of her. "Yeah, I lived there. Until I was three. Why d'you ask?"

"And your mother, she was Alice O'Sullivan?" Matt pressed, ignoring the girl's question.

"Yeah, she was. Is." Annie paused, as a quizzical expression passed her face. "How do you know my mum's name?"

"Did she have a sister?"

"Wait." Annie stared back at Matt, a look of steely determination in her eyes. "I'm not going to answer your questions until you tell me why you want to know all this."

"Just answer the question." Matt returned the stare. "And then I'll tell you."

Annie sighed, annoyed but carried on nether the less. "Yes, one sister. Kerry-Ann. She was a coupla years old than my mum. Now, tell me why."

The information was what Matt had been expecting, but it still shocked him. No, shocked was the wrong word. Intrigued him more like. "My mum was Kerry-Ann, and O'Sullivan was her surname."

"Oh." Annie's jaw dropped, as she stared back at Matt. Silence filled the room like a noiseless buzz and Annie's brain ticked over as she tried to work out exactly what had just happened. "Oh, so that means…"

"I'm your cousin." Matt finished, smiling at the relative he never knew he had.

"Oh." Said Annie again, before a thought that she'd long forgotten popped into her brain. "Kerry-Ann. That was what my mum always said, that was why she came over."

"Too look for my mum?" Matt replied, a little confused.

"She had it in her head that London was this tiny little village, and that she'd meet Kerry-Ann in the street one day, and it would all be one big happy reunion." The words tumbled out suddenly, as a sudden though occurred. "You sure about this?"

Matt nodded. "I've checked it all out. Birth records and that."

"Your mum, is she still alive?"

"Died a few years ago." Matt gave Annie an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

"How about yours?" The look in Annie's eyes hardened as she frowned heavily at the worn red carpet.

"Either dead or high."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

Pulling the battered phone that was her lifeline, Annie checked the time before cursing under her breath. "Can I go now? Only I've really got to start this flipping Law essay." She rolled her eyes comically, as Matt gave a short laugh.

"I'll check with the Gov."

"Thank you."

As she left the MIU Annie couldn't help a large smile from spreading across her face, as she wandered to the nearest bus stop amongst the noises of the busy city that she loved. Finding family you didn't know about was weird, but in a good way. It could never make up for the loss of her brother, but it was a start. She wasn't totally alone in the world.

…

**Hello, another long chapter (: **

**With added Mattesha, cos I love it so much, and frankly they would be incredibly cute together. Why ITV, why? **

**Please review, because I really want to know that people are enjoying this, and we still have the court case and everything to go yet. (: **

**Much love… next chapter soonish. **

**EDIT: I'm not updating for a while because I have exams, I'm concerntrating on other stories, and the lack of feedback is a bit depressing. But I will try to finish this story someday. (:**


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